The possibility of a boycott organized by descendants of Italians abroad is beginning to cause concern in Rome. The campaign, motivated by the proposal to restrict access to Italian citizenship, could affect both exports and Italian companies operating in the country.
“In times when trade is a very delicate matter, someone at Farnesina may have their ears ringing.” The sentence concludes an article published by the influential portal HuffPost Italy, this Wednesday (23), and summarizes the climate behind the scenes of the government. The target of the pressure are the restrictions defended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Antonio Tajani.
Beyond the products Made in Italy — such as food, fashion and cars — which generate around €5 billion – around R$ 33 billion – per year in bilateral trade, there are around a thousand Italian companies operating in Brazil. The threat of boycott worries businesspeople and authorities, given the growing mobilization among Italian-Brazilians.
Luis Roberto Lorenzato, former Lega deputy, leads part of the reaction. On his page “Vote for Italian citizenship”, published a survey prepared by Accounting Science professor and auditor Walther Bottaro. The survey shows that more than half of the participants are considering reducing their consumption of Italian products and avoiding trips to Italy.
44% of participants say they intend to significantly or completely reduce their consumption of Italian products, such as wine, food, clothing and cars.
Among those who responded, 25,5% said they intend to stop or almost stop consuming Italian products. Another 27,5% said they will reduce their consumption by half. Meanwhile, 13,7% said they will reduce their consumption by up to a third. Only 31,4% said the measure will not affect their behavior.
See the preliminary results of the poll:
“Italy doesn’t know the animosity that Brazilians have towards Argentines. So imagine these descendants who are being rejected by Italy? Will they continue to consume Italian products?” asks Lorenzato.
For Bottaro, the data is clear. “I interact with representatives of many Italian companies and the atmosphere has become tense. The results indicate a sharp reduction in consumption,” he said.
The proposal defended by Tajani limits citizenship to those whose grandparents were born in Italy. The Lega, led by Matteo Salvini, is trying to change the text, proposing that the right be extended to anyone with an Italian grandparent, regardless of their place of birth.
The reaction to Tajani's speech, in which he called the descendants a "threat", may have gone beyond the political arena. With heritage tourism under threat and consumer spending at risk, the impact of the crisis could go from the hearts of voters to the coffers of Italian companies.
